


if you never try, you’ll never know

by surmelody



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, new years fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 18:44:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5596753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surmelody/pseuds/surmelody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I told you - here’s the champagne, the glasses are in the kitchen, and the Tardis has one awesome playlist to new year’s celebrations. What do you mean we don’t have plans?!”</p><p>“I mean real plans, like going out, choosing a nice dress to the occasion, other people around…”</p><p>“The Tardis can put holographic people all over this room if that’s what you want. Also, what’s wrong with dressing up for just the two of us? It’s going to end on the bedroom’s floor anyway.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	if you never try, you’ll never know

**Author's Note:**

> Story title from Fix You by Coldplay. Don't worry, it's not sad or anything.

“Do we have any plans yet or what?”

After 1 year heading to their limited infinity, their first moments of those 24 years were coming to an end.

It was just the beginning, she was supposed to be happy about the next few years still to come, but something about new years, finishing a old circle to begin with a new one always made her bittersweet.

The Doctor never thought that much about it, not having the time or patience, with rare exceptions, to follow old human traditions such as fireworks in the sky and stuff like that. But she knew it was a little sad for him too - he’s the one who doesn’t like endings. Not even if it meant a new start. Starting things all over again didn’t mean healing the pain the old things left you to deal with.

Or so the thought.

“I told you - here’s the champagne, the glasses are in the kitchen, and the Tardis has one awesome playlist to new year’s celebrations. What do you mean we don’t have plans?!”

“I mean real plans, like going out, choosing a nice dress to the occasion, other people around…”

“The Tardis can put holographic people all over this room if that’s what you want. Also, what’s wrong with dressing up for just the two of us? It’s going to end on the bedroom’s floor anyway.”

She raises one perfect eyebrow at him. Sometimes his new “ _not shy about anything_ ” attitude still caught her off guard. She never complained.

“Why are you being like this?”

“Like what?”

“… _Domestic_.” She says it doing that cute little face she always does when she’s trying to say he’s acting weird. Yeah, quite a lot, when you think about it.

“I’m not being _domestic_.” He huffs, pretending to not care. The Doctor, the oncoming storm, the cleverest person in any room (when the wife wasn’t around), who had stolen a time machine from his own people… Being _domestic_? Definitely not.

“No, but you are! Last night you said you didn’t feel like going to Orion with me because ‘ _that star was overrated after all_ ’. What is going on? Your adventurous spirit died with your previous version?”

The Doctor ignores the idea of the word “died” in this context.

“It’s not…”

“You’re being all _housewife_!”

“Hell no- _River!_ It’s not like that.”

He looks at her, serious this time, and the mocking smile on her lips fades away slowly.

She approaches him, giving him time to put his thoughts on order before asking:

“What is going on?”

“I don’t know what’s going on. That’s the problem. I have no idea what’s going on or what happened in the last God-knows-how-many years! I know I’ve lived reckless, I know I did some pretty bad stuff that I swore to myself I would never do, but I don’t remember what for!” He breathes, trying to make his next words sounds softer than the previous one. The last thing he wanted was to snap at her like that. “My mind is fucked up right now. But I still feel inside me all this guilt. All I know is that I screwed something up and, trust me, I won’t be doing that anymore. Not to you.”

She’s looking at him, if you can call that one look. It was just one of those moments their gazes would be locked into each other and no words would be said because they already knew what was on their minds, like a telepathic link. He could feel the tenderness in her eyes as she grabs his hands to meet her mouth.

Kissing his knuckles, she manages to say after a few seconds.

“You don’t even know what happened. Don’t blame yourself that much. Stop fretting. Seriously, Doctor, don’t do that. You’re worried you’re going to put me in danger? Or lose your mind around me? Sweetie, look who you got married to. That’s my job.” She smiles lightly at him, so cute he can’t help to return with a weak one.

“I’ve hurt you, many many times. I can’t help but think I could be doing that again anytime soon.”

“You’ve helped me, many many times. Stop thinking about the things you’ve done wrong, Doctor! That’s no use! Trust me, I would know.”

He sighs, his worries almost already forgotten. River had this power over him: to make him feel better only by looking at him. It was amazing, really. He wasn’t sure he could love her more but every day he was proven to be wrong.

“You’re right. You’re always right. I’m sorry.”

She nods, but fret in her eyes was still visible.

The Doctor cups her face, bringing her closer.

“What about… A happy new year celebration in Orion? I’m sure that _not-so-good_ star will come up with something good enough.”

“No… I feel like champagne and the Tardis’ good taste in music today.”

River grabs his hands, forcing him to stand and walk with her hand to hand around the console. She couldn’t explain why, but she loved the feeling of his big, skinny cold hands holding her small, roundish hot ones. It was a contrast she learned to like very much.

“No River, I’m good, really! See, they eyebrows are even trying hard to seem excited! I’m good. Where do you want to go?”

She let go of his hands to focus on the Tardis’ console, running her fingers around and hitting the right buttons – some of them he wasn’t even sure he knew that were for.

Out of nowhere, the room was full with people he had never seen before, and a loud jazz music starts to play, almost as if it was dancing around them.

Somehow the Tardis was now full of festive people, good music, and in a blink of an eye his wife was in a different hairdo, a gorgeous silk dress and red heels. To be quite honest, only the vision of her right now with that breathtaking look was enough, but the whole atmosphere cheers him up instantly.

“You have to let me try this perfume thing once. It’s annoying having to pick a suit all the time by myself.”

“You, mister, stay away from my stuff. Speaking of which: go change! Put that white smoking, I like that one. See? You don’t have to do that by yourself.”

“First…” He says in that deep voice that makes her spine freeze all the time. She blamed the Scottish accent. “Do you happen to know what I like that much about holographic people?”

“What?” She could answer that, because there wasn’t one thing she didn’t know about her husband. But his body pressing hers against the console wasn’t helping her neurons to concentrate.

“They’re not real. They can’t bother anything.”

“I’m counting on that.”

He leans in and she holds her breath in anticipation. When their foreheads touch and she could feel the hot air of his breath, he stops and looks into her eyes:

“Happy New Year.”

“Oh, dear. It will be the happiest of them all.”

And then he finally kisses her, and she was absolutely sure no countdown followed by a stupid fireworks show in any galaxy would be better than that.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to finish this year writing something for these two married idiots, since my 2015 was better because of them. Happy New Year y'all, hope 2016 turns out to be awesome for you! With lots of River! Let's keep the faith! :)


End file.
